As many of you already know, I traveled to the British Virgins Islands in late February! It was such an unbelievable, memorable trip and after so many requests, I’m sharing all the details about our vacation! I thought it would be easiest to write this post in a Q & A format, so keep reading to see the most common questions I’ve been asked about our trip and the answers. (:

Q: What company did you book your boat through?

A: We booked with the Moorings Yacht Charters! The yacht we were on was in amazing condition and we had a really great experience with Moorings.

Q: What size boat did you rent? How many rooms were on it?

A: We rented the 51 foot Power Yacht. It has 4 state rooms and plenty of space which we loved!

Q: Did you hire a captain and/or chef or drive and cook yourselves?

A: We didn’t hire a captain or chef and we’re so happy with our decision on that! If you are comfortable operating the boat yourself (it’s actually pretty easy!), I would go that route so that you don’t have two strangers staying on the boat with you. We appreciated the privacy and extra space so much! Plus, we mostly ate out at restaurants during the trip so we didn’t eat a ton on the boat and need a chef.

Q: What is the cost for a trip like this?

A: The cost varies depending on several factors, but it is a pretty spendy trip. If you hire a captain and/or chef, that would make the cost go up significantly! The price also depends on what size boat you rent. We rented one of the largest, so that made it more expensive compared to renting a 41 foot boat. You also have to factor in the time of year you’re going (prices fluctuate), how many groceries you want to buy to stock your boat + the amount you will be spending at bars and restaurants and how many days you will be renting the boat. If you want to check the prices, I would suggest checking out the site and plugging in your trip details to see what the rental price would be for your specific trip.

Q: What islands did you visit?

A: This was our route!

We flew into St. Thomas and stayed the night there. Then, we took the ferry over to Tortola, check into our boat at Moorings, bought groceries, unpacked, and spent the night on the boat.

We took off from Tortola and headed to Norman Island our first day! This is a great spot for scuba diving. We spent the night there.
The next morning we went to the Baths (a must see at the Virgin Gorda Islands!!) and then spent the night at Levericks Bay. I wasn’t a big fan of Levericks Bay as the water was pretty choppy, so if you have another place you’re considering visiting, I would maybe do that!
The following morning we headed to Anegada. This was one of our favorite stops!! We rented scooters and drove the Cow Wrecks Beach which was beautiful.
After spending the night at Anegada, we went to Jost Van Dyke to go to the Soggy Dollar bar in White Bay. This was another one of our favorite spots! The beach was beautiful and Soggy Doggy is a must visit. Order the Nilla Killa there!
We spent the night at Jost Van Dyke and went to our final island, Cooper Island, which was an absolute dream the next morning! The water was so clear and I loved the updated vibe of the Cooper Island Beach Club. You have to grab an iced latte at their coffee shop, mine was amazing! The snorkeling was really great there as well and the water was super calm.
After staying at Cooper Island for the night, we spent the majority of our day there and then headed back to Moorings to dock our boat. We slept on our boat in the marina that night and then took the ferry back to St. Thomas the next morning to catch our flight back home!

Q: Would this be a good honeymoon trip?

A: I think so!! It just depends on if you would rather be at at all-inclusive resort and having a more chill vibe or if you are wanting more adventure! If you are wanting to be a little adventurous, I think it would be great! I also think this would be a really fun trip with a group of friends.

Q: Did you get seasick?

A: The water is mostly calm but there was one choppy day that made me a little seasick. I just went up to the top of the boat to get fresh air and I was fine! Overall, we were fine and didn’t get sick!

Q: Did you feel safe?

A: Absolutely! Sleeping on the boat overnight was great and I was never nervous. The towns and the workers were also friendly, I never felt uneasy about anything!

Q: Tips and things you wish you would have known beforehand?

A: Listing a few things here!

I wish we would have reserved our mooring buoy’s in advance at the different marinas! There’s an app called Boaty Ball and you can reserve the buoys (what you tie up to each night) in advance so you don’t have to risk not finding an available one and having to anchor somewhere for the night. We had to anchor 2 nights which wasn’t bad, but it’s a lot easier and less stressful to quickly tie up to a reserved mooring buoy. The app allows same-day reservations, which opens up at 7am each day and spots go quick! You can also upgrade to be able to make reservations even further in advance.
Bring more swimsuits, coverups vs dressy clothes! But also brings enough basic tee’s, tank, shorts, etc to last throughout the trip because things end up getting wet and you’ll want enough dry clothes. Chris didn’t bring enough shirts so he ended up buying some during the trip. I also packed a couple dresses that I never wore.
CLOSE ALL YOUR WINDOWS when you leave the boat! Rain can come through really quick and unexpectedly and it would be a huge bummer if you were away from your boat when rain came through and soaked all your belongings inside your cabin.
For groceries, try to get everything you will need for your entire trip at the grocery store on Tortola because they are really hard to come by once you leave the marina.
Bring lots of sunscreen - you will burn a lot easier so applying sunscreen often is a must.
Pack Dramamine incase you do get seasick.
Pack a deck of cards to play games at night!
Make sure to bring a water proof bag and waterproof phone cases.
Plan to have a lot of cash on hand. Practically ever person you come across expects a tip and you even have to pay to go through customs when entering the BVI’s.
Pack some pool floats to use when you want to lay out in the water by your boat. You can also ask the front desk at Moorings for a couple noodles to bring on your boat.

I think that just about covers everything that I have been asked! If I did miss anything, please leave your questions in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them! (: I hope this was helpful for any of you that are considering this trip as one of your next vacations! xx Heather

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British Virgin Islands Travel Guide